Etymologically
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prestigious

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɹɛˈstɪd͡ʒəs/, /pɹə-/ (UK); /pɹɛˈstiːd͡ʒəs/, /pɹɛˈstɪd͡ʒəs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin praestīgiōsus (“full of tricks, deceitful”),[2][3][4] from praestīgiae (“juggler's tricks”),[2][3] probably altered by dissimilation from praestrigiae, from praestringō (“to blindfold, dazzle”), from prae (“before”) and stringō (“to bind”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Practising illusion or legerdemain; deceptive: 1546 in the OED, the 1540s in Etymonline;[5][2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1534.[3]

Semantic evolution

It was derogatory until the 19th century, and the Century Dictionary (1895) marked it obsolete.[2] The positive sense, having or conferring prestige, is from 1913, influenced by prestige,[2][5][4] a use the OED notes many preferred to avoid at first.[5] The old sense of deceitful survives only rarely.[6]

Timeline

  • 1534 – prestigious (Merriam-Webster).[3]
  • 1546 – deceptive, juggling.[5]
  • 1895 – marked obsolete.[2]
  • 1913 – having prestige.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having high status or prestige; respected and admired.
  2. (rare) Using deceit or illusion.

Word family

  • prestigiously
  • prestigiousness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins